Sarah & Donal
Ireland, August 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Ella Rock, Sigiriya Rock, Safari’s (saw loads of elephants), massages, village tour we did near Habarana, The Other Corner [Habarana] accommodation, Ella train ride (although our seats were bad). Everyone we came across was so friendly; we had zero hassle and found Sri Lankan people to be very welcoming and warm.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
On occasion you could see elephant rides being offered or monkeys etc.. kept in chains, we’ve seen this in many countries and are aware that tourists are why this is still happening but nonetheless it’s always horrible to witness. The beaches on the East coast are covered in dead coral and in general were not the nicest beaches in our opinion (too still/lifeless and very shallow).
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
No issues with any of our accommodation; it gets dark so early that some of the more secluded places (Ella for example) left little to do after dark except hanging out in your bedroom. The actual accommodation was always clean and comfortable though and service was always very good.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Kapila was excellent; so easy going and always in a good mood. He has an unreal knowledge of Sri Lankan history and wildlife. He looked after us very well but still gave us space to do our own thing with or without him if we wanted. I have to say we didn’t realise that he would be available throughout the trip before we left as the itinerary or travel details did not mention this; our expectation was that he was only there for days we were travelling. As a result we had made some plans independently before we arrived.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
No issues at all – the flight from Dubai to Colombo was the worst (very cramped seats) but otherwise very comfortable and didn’t feel too long at all. [Emirates – Economy Class from Dublin]
Any other comments?
Thank you for a wonderful trip, we really enjoyed it.
In hindsight we would not have opted for the resort stay at the end – this was the only part of the trip that didn’t live up to our expectation but I think that’s more of a reflection of the holiday style we like - as we now know! That and the fact that the beaches are disappointing here in our opinion.
We also did the Labookellie tea factory and although we got lovely tea there the factory was not that interesting and the tour was very poor. While staying in Ella other guests of Clove Tree House [Cottage] did the local Amba tea tour (we didn’t have time as we wanted to do Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak) but hearing what they saw and learned there seemed much better & informative (just letting you know as an FYI).
Kapila was fantastic throughout the trip – we couldn’t have gotten a nicer driver.
« All feedback
